As the recording medium provided with many recording layers, for example, there is known a recording medium having a plurality of recording layers, each of which is actually a target for at least one of a recording operation and a reproduction operation, and a guide layer on which a guide track or guide tracks for tracking are formed (e.g. a so-called guide layer separation type optical disc) (refer to Patent document 1). A recording/reproducing apparatus for performing at least one of the recording operation and the reproduction operation on such a recording medium irradiates guide laser light and recording/reproduction laser light. The guide laser light is light for reading the guide track(s) on the guide layer. The recording/reproduction laser light is light for performing at least one of the recording operation and the reproduction operation on the recording layer. The recording/reproducing apparatus performs at least one of the recording operation and the reproduction operation by irradiating the recording layer with the recording/reproduction laser light while performing tracking control on the basis of a push-pull signal obtained from return light of the guide laser light.
Incidentally, Patent document 2 to Patent document 8 can be listed as background art documents related to the present invention described later, although they do not disclose the guide layer separation type optical disc.    Patent document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4037034    Patent document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3729467    Patent document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2003-323725    Patent document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2004-178781    Patent document 5: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. Hei 8-279160    Patent document 6: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. Hei 8-45080    Patent document 7: Japanese Patent No. 3205154    Patent document 8: Japanese Patent No. 3693813